Family
by XTAIGAX
Summary: Jack learns the real definition of family. The older family... and his newer one.


This is my attempt to show I'm alive. Sorry, I had to catch up in schoolwork and start working on scholarships. With all the writing I'm doing to apply for the scholarships (a 50-page novel writing for one, with outlines and such) and Creative Writing in my school, I've been in a real writer's block. Something's been happening with my email as well, so if you emailed me a draft from anywhere since last July I think, I probably didn't get it. Its fixed now that we have a new computer, just saying. Chapter 5, 6, and 7 of The Price of Freedom also was lost in the process, so I'll continue with Chapter 4, and its just going to get more detailed. As for Shadows, that's probably going to be going on a hiatus until I can think of what I was doing. BUT. Either way about it, enjoy my new (and probably going to be a looooong time thing) obsession with Rise of the Guardians. I'll probably only do one shots with this fandom until I think of something remotely similar to a plot, or read the books.

* * *

Snow flurried around and there was a deep humming sound. The telephone wires swayed lightly as pastel toes curled around them, shimmying the carrier across the black wires. Pastel toes crawled up to equally softly-colored ankles and calves, bleeding into bandaged beige capris; thighs and calves are taut from tiptoeing across the thin line. The snug hoodie, frost bitten from years of ice, and forearms swung an aged shepherd's hook, keeping the boy immaculately balanced. The frost that was left behind him was as white and soft as his hair, probably more accurately called sticky snow than frost, and a few shades bluer were his eyes.

He took his steps to a beat only he could hear, and his pale lips parted as he listened quietly. He simply dropped off the wire and fell to a snow bank underneath, feeling the snow sink to his knees and smiling. He listened to the familiar laugh and followed it to the nearest house, a brunet boy and his mother laughing and raising plastic wine glasses before drinking, chattering to each other.

The mother said something, putting her plastic wine cup down and walking to another room, and the boy nodded, glancing over to the window. His eyes brightened and his mouth opened in a gaspy smile, and he ran to the window, breathing out, "Jack!"

Jack smiled crookedly, almost a toothy smirk, and replied back with a small laugh, "Hey, Jamie."

Jamie was about to say something, his eyes bright and his mouth curved into a small _o_ before a door closed and he whispered, "I gotta go. Mom's counting down with me!" He grinned and Jack waved, his eyes closed in a grin. "Bye then, kiddo," he murmured before backing away, letting Jamie close the window. He still watched as the mother and son reunited, Jamie bouncing lightly as he told her something and the mother laughed a perfectly straight-toothed smile sort of laugh. She pressed him close to her side as there was a parade of some sort on the television, Jamie melting perfectly to her side.

Jack Frost brought up his hood, absentmindedly stroking the aged wood of his staff, the only real reminder of his own family. He brought the other hand to his pocket and frowned, tilting his head a little and letting out a huff. He had the winds carry him up to the second story, looking into the window for Sophie. She was sprawled out across her bed, covers across her feet only, as if she had fallen asleep waiting for her brother and mother.

He dropped to the ground again, glancing around the little town of Burgess, Virginia. He realized he was alone on the ice-sleek roads. He shrugged lightly, skating across the roads and letting out a single whoop of joy before remembering he was by himself, sliding to a stop at crossroads, then bounding over to his little pond, the winds pushing him up and flipping where he felt until he reached the area of his pond, and he pulled off his hood, no longer feeling the need to hide.

Stopping at the edge, he looked over to the middle of the pond where he drowned, and slowly stepped over to it, lifting his toes to balance himself. Looking down, he saw himself, the Man in the Moon looking down at him as well, creating a halo effect around the snowy white hair. He shrugs lightly, sitting on the ice and holding his staff in front of him, his legs bent and beside his standing staff. "New Year's is supposed to be celebrated with family," he murmured, tracing his finger along the ice and making patterned intricate designs.

"So, Happy New Year's to us…" he whispered, wisps of air escaping his mouth, curling into the air before disappearing. He smiled as he traced a stick family into the frost, then frowning at the simplicity of the picture before creating a block of ice in front of him. He chiseled away at pieces, sitting for hours, until the sun was rising the next day, New Year's Day, and he smiled down at the little figurines in front of him. Four little figures and he blew the leftover frost away, turning them toward the clouded sun, just a hazy glow past all the snow and clouds.

He sat for what seemed like eternity, and, as an immortal, he could do that. But from the sun's position, it seems to have only been an hour before there was a cracking of branches and crunching of snow. Jack looked behind him, hiding the figurines in front of him and glancing over his shoulder.

"You are sure Jack is here?" a thick Russian accent asked incredulously. "I'm positive, mate. Can smell Frostbite from a mile away," an Australian-accented voice replied back, almost impatiently, like the other has been asking for a while.

"What if he's moved on by now? Maybe he left and we're just chasing him?" a higher-pitched voice asked, a strange humming accompanying her words. Her words were rushed and jittery.

"I already said that I was positive, Sheila!" the voice seemed to growl out, but it didn't scare the lonely boy on the frozen pond. Jack was tempted to take his figurines and flee, moving to the next state over, maybe to the South Pole, where they won't be able to find him, or, at least, where they won't be entirely happy about trying to follow him. But he stayed.

He wasn't sure why he stayed, but something kept him there. Almost as solidly as the kid's tongue he froze to the stream of water. He stayed in that position, glancing over his shoulder, and watching the entrance to his pond. The first to come out was a large gray Pooka, his spring green eyes glancing around before landing on him and whispering out, "Frostbite."

There was a pause before a large man, both height and weight wise, though it seemed he was made mostly of muscle, came afterwards. A small woman with colorful feathers and scales came last, her violet eyes locking in on him before she smiled and fluttered toward him. "Jack!"

"Tooth?" the boy asked, pulling the figurines closer to his body. Tooth saw and hovered over him, curving her body above him to glance at his hands, the sun glinting off her reverberating wings. Small rainbows were cast on the ice. "What is that?" she asked, pointing at his hands. "What're you hiding, ya little bugger?" the Pooka asked, walking toward him, his shoulders swiveling in something akin to pride. The large, white-bearded man behind him smiled happily and made his way closer to Jack, asking, "What creation do you make now, Jack Frost?"

Jack shrugged, stroking the shepherd hook-shaped staff absentmindedly again. He grinned crookedly, his eyebrows furrowed up and it seemed like a strained or nervous smile. The fairy, Tooth, fluttered around him, then hovered beside him, her legs crossed under her but not touching the cold ground beneath her. "Can I see it?" she whispered to him. He looked up at her from under his flippant bangs, unclasping his hands and pulling them away slowly. Tooth gasped, and he instantly covered the small figures again. She shook her head rapidly. "Oh no, they were beautiful, Jack! How did you make them? They seem so _precise_."

"It just kinda… happened," he replied, still covering the figures. The Pooka's ears twitched, and the large man laughed a long sort of howl. "Now you have my curiosity, Jack Frost. What is little contraption you hide from me?"

"Yeah, mate. I'm curious. What are ya hiding under your little hands, Frostbite?" the Pooka asked, crouching on his hind legs beside Jack, and the boy's eyes sparkled with mischievous mirth. "Do you really want to know, Bunny?" he asked, and the large man thumped his chest. "I would like to know as well, Jack Frost!"

Before the white-haired boy could unclasp his hands again, he glanced up, listening to the far-off sound of sand shifting together. The Pooka looked up, able to hear it as well, and waved lightly. "Sandy, we're over here!" he yelled, his chest puffing out.

A little golden man floated down in front of them, a golden umbrella keeping him from falling straight down. He waved his stubby little arm and smiled, then tilted his head, a yellow question mark hovering above his head and Jack blinked, then smiled nervously again. "I was showing them something," he replied, quietly.

Sandy smiled wide, floating toward Jack and hovering in front of him. The boy unclasped his hands again, picking up the four figurines carefully. "I made them a few hours before you came here," Jack explained, "I kinda thought about how to do it after I saw North doing it," he shrugged lightly and set them on the ice again, waving his fingers in a circle above the little figurines.

The small sculptures jolted a little, almost twitched, and the little girl ran spasmodically to the little boy, the boy doing the same jerky movements to open his arms wide. The mother and father were holding each other, melted to each other's side, and the two siblings danced around, twitching, with each other. The parents jerked their head in a simultaneous spasmodic head-bob, as if there was music.

"That's… that's a beauty," Bunny whispered softly, almost as if his breath could melt the ice figures. Tooth smiled, curling into herself, pressing her hands to her chest as she watched in fascination. Sandy had rapidly-changing images above his head, not even checking to see if the others could understand him, his eyes were perfectly trained on the tiny toys in front of him. Jack looked up to North, who he was most nervous about, seeing as the large man created toys and ice figurines. North was looking down proudly at the figures and Jack, his eyes bright and smile wide. Jack smiled back, the mischievous glint in his eyes gone and replaced with childish joy.

"What made ya make this, Frostbite?" the Pooka asked, still watching the jerky and unpracticed movements of the tiny family.

The question made Jack jerk a little himself, the sculptures stopping what they were doing, and a quick move from Tooth kept one of the siblings from a tragic destruction. He slumped forward, his lips pursed a little in thought. "Jamie and his mom… they were together, and New Year's is for family… So I made my family," he finally replied, after a moment of silence. Tooth cooed a little, wrapping her arms around his head and placing her head on top of his. "You don't get it, do you, Jack?"she asked.

Sandy had images of each one of their little group above his head, all holding hands, and the Pooka to his right nodded, surprisingly. "Ya know you're family, right, Snowflake? We might not be blood and all," Bunny replied, looking away and rubbing his ears in a nervous gesture, "but we're here for ya, even if ya are a pain."

North pushed Bunny's shoulder playfully, laughing out his howling sort of laugh. Even though it was playful, it still pushed the Pooka over, toppling behind Jack. "You are silly, my friend! Jack is no pain. He is… mischievous. Playful." The large and burly man playfully winked at Jack, a secretive sort of wink, and Jack laughed, a middle-pitched sort of laugh, and almost quiet. North placed up a finger though, gathering everyone's attention. "But still hold record for Naughty List."

The boy didn't know why he laughed, but he did. It was a sudden bark of laughter that slowly leveled to quiet laughing. He raised a chestnut-brown eyebrow, a smile still tugging crookedly at his lips and boasted, "Can anyone beat me?"

Tooth laughed along, suddenly happier at Jack's real personality, noticing that earlier he had been quieter and more somber than he usually is. North rumbled out, "Come now, my friends. We leave for Santoff Claussen! This calls for party, yes?" Tooth and Sandy nodded fervently, and Bunny crossed his arms, scrunching his eyebrows together in something akin to a childish pout, but mumbled out, "Yeah, bugger."

North walked back to the entrance confidently, Tooth fluttering around him and asking questions, Bunny hopping behind them moodily. Sandy stayed behind, then looked over at Jack, an arrow pointing to the others with a question mark following it. Jack nodded, grinning, "Yeah, I'll follow you guys. I just want to do something real quick." Sandy shrugged and smiled, his head tipped back and eyes closed before following the now lifting-off sleigh, conjuring a cloud of sand underneath him.

Jack turned, heading towards Jamie's house. He had something he wanted to do.

* * *

It was almost sunset before they even heard about Jack Frost again. Sandy suddenly rapidly started pointing at a window, while Bunny and North went at, once again, whose holiday was more important. Tooth was playing with her babies, watching them as they perched on her fingers. Sandy started knocking on the window, the others finally turning to him then glancing out the window. There were calls of his name and Jack Frost burst through the windows, one hand perched inside his hoodie pocket.

"Aw, miss me?" he asked, teasing Bunny before looking at the others. "Where were you, Jack?" Tooth asked, fluttering up to him. The winter child laughed before sitting at the long table, sitting crouched, his toes curled over the edge of the seat and gingerly pulling out the same four figures, though they were now painted. Bunny hopped beside him, nodding lightly at the painting skills. "You're… you're pretty good at that, Frostbite," the Pooka commented. Jack grins lopsidedly, arranging the little figurines; the two siblings beside each other, the two parents just next to them, but still attached to each other. Then, one by one, Jack pulls out eight more figurines.

A small Sandy riding on a cloud. Tooth fluttering about, one of her legs pulled up, but the other touching ground to keep the figure balanced. North holding his belly and leaning forward, like when he uses his favorite phrase: "I feel it… in my belly." Bunny holding out his boomerangs in a defensive position. Jamie, just holding his hand up in a wave. Sophie, crouching down, like she's saying: "Bunny, hop, hop, hop!" There was Baby Tooth, laughing with her head thrown back and eyes closed in utter content. Then finally, Jack Frost. Not the brown-haired Jack Frost that was before, the Jack Overland Frost with his sister and parents. This Jack Frost was the white-haired version, hood pulled over his head, staff in one hand, the other disappeared behind the hoodie pocket. They were all painted and shiny, like he had placed a layer of ice above the paints.

He had placed Jack Frost in the middle, Tooth and Baby Tooth close together, Bunny beside her, North beside him, Sandy to Jack's left, and Sophie and Jamie beside each other. Jack waved his finger again, a small circle above them before just moving his finger something like a conductor would. The small North figurine started patting his belly, Tooth fussing over Baby Tooth. Bunny hopped around, Sophie reaching out for him and Sandy just hovering around the entire group in circles. Jamie was laughing, his tiny little figurine mouth wide and his body bouncing.

The real Jack Frost moved his finger above the other group of his family and circled it, watching as they jerk to life, then he did the same conductor-move, watching the two kids dance over the other group, and they both merged, Jack's J-shaped finger movements getting larger and they were all dancing and laughing. The white-haired boy had his tongue between his teeth, biting at the edge of it as he concentrated harder. With a last, large finger wave, they came in closer, and the bottom of all the figurines froze together, leaving it one large piece.

There was a moment of silence before Tooth grabbed Jack into a hug, her head buried in his neck, and North patted his shoulder, giving him a smile, the corners of his eyes scrunched together. Sandy was hovering over the table, giving a rapidly-changing image of approval: thumbs up, heart, nodding his head, grinning. Bunny tilted his head, giving a sort of smile-smirk and raising an eyebrow. "You're alright, ya little bugger," he murmured, mussing Jack's hair with his paw. The Baby Teeth all landed around them, some playing with the figurines, others all happily playing with the Guardians.

Jack grinned his crooked, straight-toothed grin and laughed again. He paused before saying, "It's my family…" He looked at the figurines, all melded together by one platform of ice, his frosty blue eyes scanning over everything: the Santoff Claussen, his new _family_, the elves, yetis, snow outside.

He closed his eyes, breathing slowly, happily. Jamie, Sophie, Bunny, Sandy, the Baby Teeth, Tooth, North. His old family, his new family.

He wasn't alone anymore.

He has a family.

* * *

Questions about anything, leave a review, all that wonderful jazz. The reason why Jack in the beginning seems really quiet (if you didn't catch that) is because Jamie and his family reminds him of his family. The reason why he made a father-sculpture was because he wanted a _family_, which includes a father, too. I think the reason why Jack is terrible at drawing and not so much sculpting is because its easier for him to just think what he wants to do, and the ice does it. And finally, the reason why the figurines are frosted together at the end are to show the whole concept of family. He combines what he knew as his old family, and his new family (everyone there) to show he thinks of them as brothers, sisters, father, mother.

EDIT: And holy crap, so much favs and follows and reviews in such a short time span. O_O I'm half-tempted to ask: Would you guys like me to do more? (I also do requests for this fandom, in case you'd like to send me a prompt or something)


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